‘How Ed Sheeran helped me land World Cup Song’ — Burna Boy

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By Adegboyega Adeleye

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Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Burna Boy has revealed that British pop star Ed Sheeran played a key role in his feature with Shakira on the official 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem, Dai Dai.

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Speaking during a recent interview with Capital FM, the singer narrated how Ed Sheeran called him to work on the World Cup song, noting his earlier anticipation to work with Shakira as a source of motivation.

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“He’s actually the first to call me about this because he’s the one who had my number. He hit me up and said we should a World cup song with Shakira and I said I’ll love to work with Shakira, let’s do it,” Burna Boy said.

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The Afrofusion star also disclosed that Sheeran prepared him for the pressure of performing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, saying the British singer gave him an early warning about the scale of the event.

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He added: “He had to give me a heads-up like, ‘Yo, you’re going to have to perform at the finals and all of that.’ He knows me… he knows how I get down.

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“He knows the stress part is a bit crazy for me, so he gave me a heads-up. He was like, ‘Yo, it’s going to be real stressful.'”

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Burna Boy described Sheeran as one of the most thoughtful people he has worked with, praising his personality and professionalism.

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“He’s just a very sensible and lovable guy. He is someone I have taken to personally from the beginning. Ed is very smart, man. He always knows what he is doing.”

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Sheeran is credited as one of the songwriters on Dai Dai, alongside producer Alexander Castillo.

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Recall Shakira revealed that she waited 20 days for Burna Boy to submit his verse for the World Cup anthem, admitting she was determined to have the Nigerian superstar on the record.

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The Colombian singer also described Burna Boy’s contribution as the “cherry on top”, saying his vocals elevated the song to “another level”.

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Released as the official anthem for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Dai Dai celebrates resilience, unity and inner strength, bringing together two global music stars for one of football’s biggest stages.

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